Nidhog
by Smaugtheterrible
Summary: Taylor Hebert is left in the locker for far too long, and Daddy Herbert is not amused, and so begins the return of the first villain, the dragon of the end times, the corpse eater, Nidhog.
1. Chapter 1

**_Nidhog_**

Danny Herbert stared at his daughters comatose form. The heart monitors the only thing the only thing that told him that his daughter was still alive. His hands involuntarily clenched, grinding against the armrests of the chair he had been sitting in for the last day.

Danny knows who had done this thing. He knows and is not amused. After he had gotten the call about his daughter being in the hospital, he had gone to Taylors room to find some clothes and other mementoes for her, and a few of her favorite books so that he could read to her.

What he had found though?

Her diary, and what he had found in it, disgusted him, disgust in himself and Winslow, and most of all in the so called _Protectorate._

His daughter, his _chick,_ had been bullied and tormented by three girls for over a year, and one of them was a **hero.** And what was worse, she hadn't even told him. Taylor hadn't felt she could tell her own father because he had withdrawn after the death of her mother.

The armrests snapped as his hand clenched.

Danny cursed as he breathed in deep through his nose, calming himself and the rage, building inside him. He took a deep, shuddering, breath in, and then out, the breath that came out was hot and muggy. After a few more deep breaths, he continued the mental checklist that would determine his response.

Next was the fact that his daughter had triggered, he could _smell_ it on her from here, the scent of power alongside the rot and corruption from her missing eye and leg that had been amputated due to the infection and toxic materials in the bug inflicted wounds.

Bugs had _eaten_ his daughters **eye.**

After a few more minutes of enforced calm, Danny stood up and took out his phone and dialed the number of one his coworkers.

"Jackson? Yeah its Danny. Hey, could you do me a favor? Can you come by and watch Taylor for a couple days? I need to go deal with some things, hopefully get this situation working in her favor. Really? Thanks, the nurse will know to expect you."

Danny closed his phone, he walked over to his daughters bed and placed a kiss on her mostly unmarred forehead before whispering quietly.

"I know I promised your mother not to do this ever again, but for you, anything little Chick, and I know you cant hear me, but I am so, _so,_ sorry you felt like you couldn't come to me. You'll be same with Jackson. He might not be me, but he is certainly capable enough to insure you safety."

With that, Danny Herbert walked out of the room, never noticing the single solitary tear that fell from beneath his daughters un-ruined eye.

 _Scene Break_

Danny walked into the lobby of the PRT building, he took in a deep breath, scenting the diverse powers that were inside the building briefly before walking forward to the front desk and the understandably curious secretary behind it, obviously wondering who the large man sniffing the air was.

Danny walked up to the desk and nodded, his voice coming out gruff and worn.

"Hello. Please inform Director Piggot and whoever oversees the wards that I am here to speak to them about the conduct of one of their wards and how it relates to the current critical condition of my daughter."

The secretaries eyebrow rose fractionally but she nodded and motioned towards the seats lining the lobby.

"Very well sir, please take a seat. Who should I tell the director is here?"

Danny sat, the chair audibly groaning under the strain of his unnaturally high body heat and shifting body mass.

"Danny Herbert. _For now._ "

 _Scene break_

Regional Director of Brockton Bay's PRT Emily Piggot eyed the unassuming if large man in front of her. When she had heard who was here to see her, plus the condition of his daughter and where said daughter went to school, it was rather obvious which ward he was here to talk to her about had to be Shadow Stalker.

 _Damn vigilante,_ Piggot thought, _what has she done now?_

But what had interested Piggot most had been how Herbert had introduced himself as 'Danny Herbert. _For now.'_ Which strongly implied that he was a cape, but for the life of her she couldn't think of which one, she had run all of his information through her databases and not gotten a single match, but that was why she had both Miss Milita and Armsmaster to either side of her. She might not like, or even trust capes but she knew enough about them both to know that they would throw themselves in front of her, even if through overconfidence.

She brought herself out of her musings as the man spoke, his voice coming out as a rumbling growl.

"Director. I have come to inform of a few things. The first is that Shadow Stalker," He paused to glare at the two capes before continuing.

"Also known as Sophia Hess," He held up a hand and forestalled the outraged and forceful 'not allowed to speak about her secret identity things. "Yes, I know her secret identity, no, I have no intention of spilling it or attacking her in her civilian identity. If I want to kill her Ill do it in person and when she's ready."

Herbert's eyes glowed red as he took in a few deep breaths. Piggots lips thinned as she noticed what were pointed teeth that shifted back into normal human molars and canines.

After another deep breath Herbert continued talking.

"The reason that I know this is because I discovered my daughters journals that detail every incident thats happened for the last year and a half, as well as her conclusion that Sophia Hess is a ward. I also can only assume that it is those three who caused my daughters current condition."

Piggot decided to put her cards on the table, and spoke.

"You would be correct on all counts." She forestalled the strident ' _directors!'_ From Militia and Armsmaster when she flat out admitted a capes identity.

"But the more important question is what do you want?"

Herbert's lips pulled back from his teeth.

"I want Panacea at my daughters bedside within twenty four hours, and I want Sophia Hess jailed in the same time frame. I don't care which identity she rots in prison as, as long as it happens."

Piggot raised one eyebrow as she laced her fingers together.

"And if you don't get what you want?"

Piggot repressed a shiver as Herbet's eyes glowed, and it seemed like his throat was lit from somewhere inside his body by the very fires of hell.

" **If,** I don't get what I want, then I will come back here and kill everyone **."**

He leaned forward, almost nose to nose with director, the room growing hot and muggy.

 **"** **Everyone."**

He leaned back and stood up, Piggot swallowed, her throat dry. As Herbet opened the door to leave, he glanced back at the three dumbstruck figures.

"By the way, in case you are curious as too who my other is, look up **Nidhog**."

Emily Piggot paled.

 _Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit_

Emily piggot stared in horror as the door shut on the most powerful cape on the planet bar the end bringers closed shut.

Miss Milita turned to Piggot, her bandanna covered dusky features managing to hide her shock, but not her shaking hands.

"Who was _that?_ "

Piggot placed one shaking hand over the other as she spoke.

"That was Nidhog, the corpse eater, only living cape to have gone toe to toe with the entirety of slaughterhouse 9 and the triad on multiple occasions and not loose or die."

Armsmaster swallowed a few times before he spoke.

"Whats his rating?"

"Mover 5, for increased speed, Shaker 5 for napalm breath, Brute 9 for stupidly high strength and regenerative powers and well as being tough enough to shrug off anything other then another brute 8 or 9. Breaker 9 for his combat dragon form, Master 2 for inspiring his ease in inspiring loyalty in his men, Blaster 5 because he spews napalm, Thinker 3 for being able to retain information with ease, Striker 5 for poisoned claws, Changer 5 for human to dragon with forms that stay in between, and Trump 8 for being able to slowly grow immune to an attack, if it is used on him repeatedly, it stops working."

"Thats such Bullshit." Armsmaster whispered in shocked awe at the rating.

"How? Why?"

Piggot shrugged.

"Go look it up, its still on record, let me put it this way. Theres a reason why Nidhog was also known as the dragon of the apocalypse."

"And the name similarity to Nilbog?"

Piggot glanced at Miss Militia.

"He had it first. He is considered _the_ first super villain. Now _please_ , leave, I need to make some calls."

 _Deep in a secret underground lair_

Coil, also known as PRT strike commander Thomas Calvert smiled to himself as the twining roads of possible futures sung to him. He might only be able to see too at once, but damn was he going to milk this for all he could. Taking up the phone he dialed.

"Tattletale, yes, this is a big job, but do it right and I might just decide you have a non lethal way to get out of your contract. I want you to delay Panacea on her way to Brockton General tomorrow. She will arrive at 8 am at the airport and then she will take the most direct route there, how you do it is up to you, but come noon, she cannot be at that hospital, is that clear? Good."

Coil sat back in his chair and smiled.

"Nidhog hmmm? The dragon for the end times, just what will you do when Panacea does not arrive for your daughter?"

 _Herbert family home_

A humanoid shape sat, its features obscured by shadow, its eyes burning like coals, set deep into its head. Occasionally its body would shift as it swelled and grew, but it remained sitting, gazing at at picture of a happy Danny Herbert and his wife and daughter as it counted down.

22 _hours and 59 minutes…_

 _22 hours and 58 minutes…_

When time ran out, if Panacea was not there… Danny Herbert, no, **Nidhog** would release devastation that would make an Endbringer attack look like a squirt gun fight. He would do what he had never done before and use the entirety of his power and being to crush the PRT and its capes, and then he would go to Winslow and he would atomize the school and all in it.

He would do this as Nidhog, but he would also do this as a father.

 ** _For Taylor…_**

 _22 hours and 57 minutes…_


	2. Chapter 2

_CHAPTER 2_

 _2 hours and 24 minutes…_

The hero known as Panacea was ushered through security on her way to the her car by the capes known as Assault and Battery.

"Panacea, you are urgently needed at Brockton General."

Panacea almost stumbled as she was ushered through checkpoints and out the airport doors, but was picked up and carried, her feet brushing the ground as they made their way to a convoy of armored vehicles.

As she was practically dragged along, she managed to get out a strangled.

"Why?"

Assault looked at Battery.

Battery looked at Assault.

Assault shrugged, Battery sighed and turned her head to Panacea.

"A super villian has threatened to kill everyone and everything in the PRT building before burning down a school with everyone in it if his daughter isn't healed by you in less then 3 hours."

"Who's the super villain?"

Panacea's eyes widened at the terse reply as she was bundled into the vehicle.

"Endbringer."

 _Emily Piggot's office, PRT building_

 _2 hours…_

It was utter chaos as telephones rang and PRT officers screamed and shouted at each other from across the room. Director Piggot herself was doing her utmost to smooth the evacuation of areas around Winslow and the PRT building. She was also trying to find Shadow Stalker and failing.

The Cape had disappeared as soon as her school had let out and hadn't been since despite the rest of the Wards, the New Wave, and the Protectorate searching for her.

Piggot might detest Shadow Stalker to her very core, even more so now that she knew that the idiot girl had been tormenting **_Nidhog's_** daughter of all people, but she had to give the teen credit, she definitely knew how too run and hide like hell.

Her personal phone rang, not looking at the caller I.D. as she yelled at her officers to 'find that damn vigilante!' She answered her phone with a terse.

"This better be important. Speak."

And then flinched minutely as the hard tones of the Chief director Costa came in over the line.

" _I believe it is. Now why am I only now hearing about Nidhog, a villain on par with the Triad, End-bringers and the slaughterhouse 9?"_

Piggot rubbed her brow in frustration.

"Ive been a little busy trying to fulfill his conditions Chief Director."

There was a pregnant pause on the line before Costa spoke again.

" _Very well. I will have Alexandria dispatched to your location. She should be able to at least buy some more time. Whatever you do, make sure what he wanted gets done."_

Piggot resisted the urge to role her eyes. She had read the reports on Nidhog. She would rather sacrifice every cape in this city then let Nidhog go on a rampage.

"Yes Director."

 _1 hour and 46 minutes…_

 _Brockton General_

 _1 hour and 32 minutes…_

Peter Jackson sat in Taylor Herbert's hospital room. He had promised the boss that he would sit and watch over his daughter.

He shivered to think of the fat that would befall who ever had put Taylor in this state when the boss got threw with them. He was supposed to call him as soon as Panacea got here, but she hadn't arrived yet.

God, he hoped she got her in time, otherwise the boss would burn and salt the land in revenge. Jackson shivered, he had been the bosses lieutenant during the last time he had done that.

He still had nightmares almost twenty years later.

 _1 hour and 26 minutes…_

 _ABB headquarters_

 _1 hour and 12 minutes…_

Lung stared out from his penthouse suit and considered. A source in the PRT had put out the warning and possible advance notice that Nidhog would be coming to scorch the earth of Brockton Bay.

Lung felt the cold grasp of fear in his chest as he remembered the first time he had ever seen Nidhog. It had been the last time the Corpse Eater ever showed his face in public, the dragon had walked into the middle of Washington D.C. and announced he would be retreating from the public eye, and if anyone wanted to take one last go around, then it would be the last time they would be able too.

He had trounced almost 100 capes both heroes and villains in a twenty four hour time period before disappearing forever.

Lung had considered himself a dragon, immortal and invincible, until he saw that, it had forced him to realize just how insignificant he really was.

Nevertheless, the dragon of the end times would do what he did best and destroy, but Lung would do his best to protect his territory and his people. Even if it meant standing between them and Nidhog.

 _1 hour…_

 _Highway halfway between Brockton airport and Brockton general hospital_

 _45 minutes…_

Panacea groaned as she came to her senses, laying against the door of a flipped car, and stared into the face of a gigantic mutant dog.

The dogs face was soon obscured by a smiling blond, who took one look at Panacea before frowning.

"Who were you going to go heal?"

Panacea shook her head, she most likely had a concussion, and with her ears ringing she couldn't understand what the heck she was saying.

The blond frowned in frustration, before carefully projecting,

"Who. Were. You. Going. To. Go. Heal?"

Panacea shrugged.

"The kid of some old villain named Nidhog."

The blond paled in horror.

 _'_ _ooh_ ** _shit_** _'_

 _20 minutes…_

 _Herbert Family House_

 _30 seconds…_

The figure, still in its chair, sat immobile, staring at the clock in front of it. Gazing enraptured as the time ran down.

 _5 seconds…_

 _4…_

 _3…_

 _2…_

 _1…_

Nidhog, corpse eater, dragon of the apocalypse, stood up, casting off the guise of Danny Herbert and roared, roared a warning and declaration of war.

 **"** **TIMES UP!"**


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

 _"_ **TIMES UP!"**

The roar echoed across the city, shattering windows and driving those close to the epicenter to their knees. People watched, awestruck from in side their houses as a terrifying black scaled dragon, the ground rumbling with each step, made its way towards the PRT headquarters, Its sulfur yellow eyes glowing as it took in its surroundings.

Car alarms were triggered as the moved, each step a chorus of electronic scores and shattering pavement. The dragon's head turned towards the sky, its mouth opened to reveal saber like teeth dripping with a greenish-yellow oily gunk, and then the dragon roared, forcing broken English through an inhuman throat, past a mouth the size of a truck, and through teeth built for ripping, tearing, and killing.

 **"** **TIME IS UP BROCKTON BAY! YOUR DEATH COMES CLAD IN SCALE AND FLAME!"**

Anyone outside screamed in terror as a palpable wave of rage and terror was blasted alongside his declaration.

 **"** **I AM NIDHOG! I AM YOUR END! I-"**

Nidhog stopped suddenly as a shape blurred out in front of him. The corpse eater stopped and regarded the person floating in front of his nose with an affronted expression that morphed into distaste and resignation.

 **"** **Hello Alexandria."**

The figure bowed her head in greeting, her cape flowing gently in the wind.

"Nidhog. What can I do to reduce casualties?"

Nidhog shook his head, snorting like a horse, its hot breath washing over Alexandria In a humid wave.

 **"** **Have my demands been met? Does Sophia Hess languish in prison?"**

Alexandria shook her head, causing the dragon to narrow its eyes, the hate contained within the yellow orbs taking her breath away.

 **"** **Has Panacea been brought to my daughters bedside in order to heal what your ward and her friends did to my child?"**

She shook her head again, harder this time, ashamed of the actions of a so called superhero. Her hair was blown back in another warm breath gusted over her, Nidhog's tone when he spoke next was deceptively soft, letting Alexandria know that whatever she said it better be good.

 **"** **So, you are saying that I should just** ** _stop_** **? That I should break my word?"**

Alexandria shook her head carefully, she knew from prior dealings that the dragon considered his word to be sacred, and that he never, _ever_ , broke it.

"No, of course not, but what I am saying is that you give us just a little more time, Shadowstalker neglected to ditch her personal cell phone and we are in the processes of tracking it, and Panacea was delayed by a group of super villains, she is now back on track to arrive at Brockton general in just over an hour."

Nidhog considered what she was saying briefly, almost wanting to say yes, and leave the city untouched, but then he thought of his daughter again, and his inner fire screamed in fury. He shook his head.

 **"** **I cannot."** Nidhog paused, and shook his head again. **"No, I** ** _will not._** **Prepare yourself."**

Alexandria's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something as one taloned foot smacked into the hero, sending her rocketing into, and through a building.

And the next three buildings as well.

And a large 18 wheeler.

She finally came to a rest buried in the wall of an office building over a block of away.

" _Owww…"_

She groaned halfheartedly as the dust settled.

She looked through the holes and towards where she had just been launched. She really hoped that they could have his daughter healed and Shadowstalker trussed before Nidhog got there, because now that he had stopped talking, the Corpse Eater would bat her around Brockton like a damn tennis ball.

What was worse was because of his Trump ability, she couldn't deal any damage, having faced Nidhog many times in the past.

Alexandria sighed, got to her feet, and charged back towards the dragon.

 _PRT lobby_

Director Piggot gazed out at the sea of capes, what she had too say would almost certainly drive most of them off, but she hoped the smarter ones would realize where Nidhog would go afterwards.

She stepped up to the podium and coughed into the microphone, getting the attention the milling capes.

"Good afternoon, and thank you, to all assembled. In approximately 30 minutes, the villain known as Nidhog will arrive, he has declared his intention to destroy PRT and kill everyone inside it and anyone who gets in his way in revenge for his daughters hospitalization at the hand of Shadow Stalker. Nidhog stated that if his daughter was healed by Panacea and Shadow Stalker imprisoned or delivered to him. We were unable to fulfill his demands."

Piggot paused briefly as the shocked and terrified mutterings began, as they lulled she continued.

"As such at noon he began his rampage in our direction. Alexandria is currently fighting a stalling action in order to delay him. However she is losing. Our goal is not to defeat Nidhog, our goal is to delay him long enough for the team dispatched after Shadow Stalker to capture or kill her and bring her or her corpse in, we are also buying as much time as possible for the Undersiders to get Panacea to Brockton General."

She took in a deep breath, ignoring the pain in her gut and opened the gates to what she knew would be an awkward series of questions.

"Any questions?"

"Why are Undersider's escorting Panacea?" Came the call from a villain she recognized as Uber.

"They originally ambushed her convoy before they realized who she was and what she was going to do and are now conveying her at all speed on Hellhounds dogs to Brockton general."

"Is this considered an Endbringer truce?"

Piggot nodded, not even caring where the question came from.

"It is. After Nidhog is done with the PRT, he has said he would destroy Winslow high school, and then go after the Empire, The ABB, and the Merchants."

Piggot decided that she would keep the fact that he hadn't actually said that would be something she would keep very close to her chest.

"Now, you are all under the standard End Bringer command structure, time to prepare."

 _Brockton Bay General Hospital_

Panacea gasped as she ran into the hospital, Tattletale close behind her, once Panacea had managed to communicate just how badly the blond had fucked up she had come clean. She had been hired by her boss to delay Panacea for as long as she could, but once she realized what was at stake, she put it aside.

The hero opened the door in the intensive care ward and sprinted to the room where Taylor Herbert lay. She frantically opened the door and stopped as a long knife pricked her throat.

She turned her head fractionally too see a man with stringy black hair and a emotionless face.

"You Panacea?" She nodded slightly, aware of the knife pricking her throat. "Get to work."

The man withdrew the knife back into his sleeve and sat down as Panacea got to work.

He watched her carefully for a few minutes before retrieving a phone from his pocket and sending a message with a few quick taps.

 _Downtown Brockton_

Sophia Hess, otherwise known as Shadow Stalker cursed as she another electrical bolt sent at her by Miss Militia who was currently wielding what looked like a high-powered taser as Aegis and Velocity came at her from both sides.

All this because she had shoved Herbert in a fucking locker!

How the hell was she supposed to know that the weaklings dad was _fucking Nidhog?_

Sophia screamed as she tried to go phase past a low wall but was tagged by one of Milita's taser blasts, causing her to fall against the low wall, the brick rough against her shoulder. She looked up through darkening eyes as the dusky woman, bedecked in stars and stripes approached her with a thunderous expression that didn't suit the normally kind woman in the least. She stepped up to the downed Shadow Stalker and asked, with hostility in her voice,

"Are you ready to come in now?"

Miss Milita's eyes widened suddenly in shock and then in pain, she looked down too see a crossbow bolt in her stomach, and then collapsed.

Shadow Stalker looking on in satisfaction, her crossbow dropping from numb hand as she spat.

" _Now_ I'm ready to come in. _Bitch."_

And as she finally passed out, the last thing she heard was Velocity calling for Aegis in a panicked tone as Miss Milita groaned in pain.

Sophia Hess fell unconscious with a smile.

 _Lobby of the PRT building_

Alexandria rocketed through the glass doors of the PRT lobby, plowing a trench into the marble flooring, sending both hero's and villains tumbling in every direction in their haste to get out of the human shaped missiles way.

As the dust settled the gathered capes cautiously clustered around Alexandria as she shakily got to her feet, her costume torn in places, but still whole and uninjured.

She got to her feet and was about to speak when the light coming in from the windows was totally obscured, the lobby falling into almost complete shadow, one glowing sulfur yellow eye gazing into the lobby.

Vista, quivering and terrified, whispered, the girls small voice loud in the utter silence.

"He's _here…_ "

And then a wave of black fire flowed in through the front doors, consuming everything in its path.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Emily Piggot looked on in horror as the wall of black flames roared towards her, turning wood, metal, glass, and stone into slag as it came. She heard a voice call out,

"Shields and Brutes, to the front! Protect the blasters, breakers, and strikers!"

She started as she realized she was the one yelling out orders to the Parahumans near her, and they were following them as though possessed, moving with grace and skill, the tougher capes protecting the weak and the glass cannon capes.

Hero, villain, it didn't matter, only survival in the face of the overwhelming power and fury.

 _Scene Break_

Panacea breathed heavily as she ignored the terrible aching of her head, her powers telling her that she had pushed them to the limit in order to start healing Taylor Hebert.

Her patient sat beneath her, far more whole then when she had started, but still not completely healed. She had managed to regrow Taylor's eye, and eliminate many of the infections that had become embedded in her flesh, blood, and bone.

What she hadn't yet been able to fix was the leg.

She had managed to regrow it to below the leg, capping of the raw flesh into a slim stump, she had worked on it and taken the limb as far as she could, but without enough nutrients, she couldn't go any further without sending her body into shutdown because of the lack of nutrients.

Panacea turned to the swarthy man who was sitting on a chair in the corner, blocking the door from opening with a chair. He raised one hairy eyebrow.

"You done?"

Panacea shook her head.

"Ive done as much as I can today, if I did anything else at regrowing her leg then her cells would begin to goin into a state of autophagy."

At the mans raised eyebrow Panacea elaborated.

"Basically if I use anymore of her fat or other body mass to regrow her leg, her cells will start eating themselves for energy, which will start with her kidneys dying."

"So in other words, there isn't anything else you can do today right?"

Panacea nodded. He patted Panacea on the shoulder, his greasy hair hanging down his back.

"In that case, you might want to get to the PRT headquarters, my boss, well… He's in a bit of a rampage, and you telling him that his daughters going to be okay might stop him before he kills everyone there."

Panacea stock still for a second, absolutely motionless, before she almost blurred as she raced towards the stairwell, screaming for Lisa and the rest of the Undersiders.

 _Scene Break_

Coil gazed impassively at his monitors through his helmet.

His plan was beginning to diverge, people were straying from there predicted lines. By and large, Nidhog, PRT, and the capes were all going along what he wanted, but Panacea had arrived at Brockton General much quicker then he expected.

Tattletale was going to _pay_ for that.

And now, it seemed as though Shadow Stalker was well on her way towards being delivered at Nidhog's feet. The only question was wether Nidhog managed to permanently deal with as many capes as Coil needed for him to be able to move onto the next phase of his plan.

Coil, or Thomas Calvert, had slowly infiltrated every gang, including the PRT. He had spies riddled in the Empire, dotted here and there in the ABB, and just a few in the Merchants.

He had the most in the PRT because of the sheer volume of information that passed through its headquarters on a daily basis. But now….

Coil sighed. He was willing to sacrifice most of his mole in the PRT if it meant clearing most of Brockton Bay of Capes.

Once that was done, well, then people would start to figure out why he chose to put a snake on his uniform. After all, it was the bite you didn't see coming that usually killed you after all.

 _Scene Break_

Velocity cursed roundly as he carted Sophia freakin' Hess's unconscious and bound body towards the PRT headquarters. Aegis had flown off with Miss Milita under one arm, and he was rushing at full speed towards PRT headquarters, hoping that he could throw Sophia in front of Nidhog if the dragon-thing hadn't arrived yet, and stop it.

Velocity's annoying burden began squirming again so he paused, dropped roughly to the ground and waited as she squirmed to an upright position before landing a solid punch to the side of her head, dropping back into dream land.

Still cursing to himself he picked up the limp teen he started moving back towards PRT headquarters.

 _God, I hope I make it in time._

 _Scene Break_

Far above the planet, somewhere in the upper atmosphere lurked an angelic being with a visible expression of utter fascination mixed with what most people, if they didn't know better, was fear, no, not fear. Something even worse, outright _terror_.

Scientists all over the world watched as the Simurgh moved, almost fidgeting in the air, its long feathered wings dancing with nerves as it tried to see into the future, but the angelic End Bringer just made its way slowly, floating in an unknown direction, its gaze fixed with an expression that seemed almost reluctant on… Brockton Bay.

The scientists, thinkers, and tinkers all over the world had to wonder, what was so important about Brockton Bay that it scared an _Endbringer_?

 _Scene Break_

Heroes and Villains alike screamed as they bled on the ground, their bodies twisted, broken, and burnt by the onslaught of the dragon of the apocalypse.

Armsmaster, his armor torn and battered, turned to rally other capes for another go at the dragon, but stopped as he _felt,_ more then heard, a thunderous crash behind him, followed by a warm gust of muggy air blowing over him.

He turned slowly, his halberd, crackling with electricity, gripped in tight, gauntleted hands.

The corpse eater's massive head was directly in front of him. Its teeth barred in what almost seemed like a smile, the black scaled dragons burning yellow eyes, boring into Armsmaster.

The hero didn't have event time to move as one giant talon impaled him through the gut.

What he did have time to do however was scream as he was lifted up, the talon still going in and back out his stomach.

Nidhog looked at the little human stuck on one of his fingers, then at the still and silent battlefield, who's members were staring at the sight of a powerful and skilled hero screaming and crying in pain.

The corpse eater smeared and slung the armored hero at the main body of his opponents, the armored missile of his victim slamming into other people, shattering bone and concrete as it impacted.

The dragon looked around, taking stock in the remaining capes that were worthy of some notice as heroes and villains alike froze, the malignant sulfur colored eyes of the dragon raking over each Cape in turn, seemingly peeling back their layers until they reached the core of a Capes being, and then dismissing them.

 **"** **Is this all? I came to exterminate you like the base vermin that you are, but you are truly are a pathetic bunch. I requested two simple, easy things. Instead, I am faced to commit to this travesty of a pest extermination."**

Nidhog stopped and glared at Director Piggot and Alexandria.

 **"** **Know this before you die. This could have been avoided. This could have been stopped. I could have been an ally, rather then you end. Know and understand that as you die."**

He stopped as Alexandria stepped in front of the wounded capes, most of whom were still amongst the living, but there were still corpses here or there on the blasted and singed front lawn of the PRT building. Nidhog eyed Alexandria skeptically, the heroes long hair, burnt, but still flowing in the slight breeze.

" **What?"**

The dragon could smell the fear on the hero as she spoke.

"Please, spare the rest of them. You know that whatever Shadowstalker did, it can be eventually placed at my feet, so I ask you, no, I beg you, just take me."

Nidhog raised one scale covered brow.

 **"** **And why would I want to do something as silly as that?"**

The great dragon leaned his head in close to the hero, close enough that she could see the red lines of nerves and blood in the dragons eye as it regarded her.

 **"** **Why wouldn't I just kill all of you? Hmmm?"**

Alexandria took a deep, calming breath before she spoke.

"Because I'm calling in the favor you said you'd owe me."

Nidhog reared back sharply in shock, he looked at Alexandria for a second, gauging her seriousness before roaring to the skies, shrieking in utter apoplectic anger. When the black scaled dragon finally turned back to regard Alexandria she was surrounded by other Capes who were all trying too convince the female hero to retreat while she still could. She waved them off as she saw Nidhog approach.

The corpse eater looked at Alexandria for a brief moment, his rage making the words it forced through an inhuman mouth harder to understand.

 **"** **Pre-pare yourself."**

Alexandria nodded and the dragon of the apocalypse raised one mammoth taloned paw, its shadow casting the female hero in darkness as she prepared herself.

Nidhog brought the paw down with such force that its mere speed rattled windows, it raced towards its target, and was mere inches from impacting when-

"WAIT!"


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

"WAIT!"

Nidhog's paw, a scaled and clawed mass of flesh the size of a car stopped less then a foot above Alexandria's head, the gust of wind from the paw stopping blew back the the female hero singed hair and almost knocked her back a step from the sheer pressure.

The great black dragons head turned to regard the worm who had _dared_ to order him, his yellow eyes burning.

But then the dragon paused, and gave its best impression of a smile, its lips pulling back from rows of saber like teeth, each as long as a grown man, it paused and sniffed at the air before speaking.

Its eyes fixed on the bound form of Shadowstalker and the supersede hero Velocity.

" **Well…"** It purred, low in its throat, the sound vibrating the bones of those nearby. **"What a lovely gift you have there, is it for me?"**

Velocity snuck a quick glance at Alexandria who just shrugged. He turned back to the great black dragon who was still regarding him with those great swordlike teeth bared in a smile.

"No. She is not. She is here so that I can show that we are not taking your daughters condition lying down. So that we can show you heroes are still truly heroes, that you don't have to do this because we can do it for you."

The corpse eater snorted, a gust of warm air blowing over Velocity, the dragons skeptical expression visible plain on his scaled face.

 **"** **Really? So you are going to kill her? Impale her? Burn her until her flesh crisps and her organs liquify from the heat?"**

Velocity shook his head, plainly sickened by the corpse eaters nonchalant description of a gruesome death.

"No. I will have her imprisoned, she will be sent to the Birdcage with a life sentence, she will live and die in that hell hole."

Nidhog looked at Velocity intently, the other nearby capes were all dead silent as they stood witness to the conversation between the dragon of the apocalypse and Velocity, the scent of burnt flesh with the coppery tang of blood thick in the air.

 **"** **So, you have obviously brought your prisoner here, most likely in an attempt to delay me or convince me to stop, so that Panacea can finish healing my daughter, no?"**

Velocity shrugged, not seeing any point in denying the obvious.

"Got it one. We received confirmation that Panacea had arrived at the hospital a few hours ago. I was hoping that you at least give us a grace period of an hour to get Panacea here to prove to you that she had seen to you daughter."

Nidhog paused. His eyes taking in Velocity's every aspect, from his rock solid posture, the occasional twitch of his facial muscles, and the one single, solitary drop of sweat making its way down his exposed neck.

 **"** **You have 10 minutes."**

The tension dissolved briefly, and then shot back as they realized that they had ten minutes to fine Panacea and get her to PRT headquarters.

Which was halfway across the city from the hospital where Herbert's daughter was.

 _Scene Break_

Amy Dallon, also known as Panacea screamed at the top of her lungs as a gigantic dog creature jumped, bridging the gap between buildings as it raced full tilt towards the PR headquarters. She was clasping desperately onto the purple costume of Tattletale, the blond hero constantly urging the dog they were riding to move faster.

Two other dogs flanked them with the rest of the undersiders who all wore varying expressions of discontent and terror to one degree or the other.

Bitch in particular looked like she wanted to claw someones eyes out, although Tattletale had assured her that she looked at everyone like that.

She didn't know anything about that, but what she did know was that Bitch's power was absolutely terrifying, those big ass dogs just scared the crap out of her for some reason.

But what scared her more was actually meeting the person considered the first villain, she couldn't help it, but the thought of meeting Nidhog in person set butterflies of acid and fire aflutter in her stomach.

 _Scene Break_

Piggot stole yet another sidelong glance at the five story dragon clad in black scales as it lay on the front lawn of the PR h.q, seemingly asleep. Other capes were carefully circling the great beast as time ran down.

Alexandria coughed loudly to get Piggots attention as she conspicuously didn't limped up.

"Whats the plan to get Panacea here in time?"

Piggot shrugged.

"I have Velocity and a half dozen fliers scouting the most direct routes in between here and Brockton General, but otherwise I am using the rest of the non-priority combat capes to help the evacuation of nearby houses."

Alexandria sighed.

"I suppose thats the best we're going to get,"

Piggot nodded, and then walked back into the PR headquarters, to get Sophia placed in a confident cell. Ultimately resigned to whatever happened, wether she lived, or died, consumed by black fire.

 _Scene Break_

Nidhog was counting down the time until he would again maim and kill, and then he felt the tread of three large quadrupeds in the earth, a distinct tattoo of paw beats that soon came into auditory range. He opened one eye and watched as three dog-like creatures plowed to a stop.

A white cloaked girl that smelled of hospitals and mint almost fell of the boney dog thing in her haste to get off. She flopped to the ground, stood up on shaky legs and then quickly jogged over to me where nervously stood for a few moments before speaking.

"H-hello sir. My name is Panacea, I have just finished a first session with your daughter, I managed to solve almost all of her medical issues save her leg."

Nidhog stared the nervous girl for a few moments, mulling over her statement.

 **"** **Why have you not healed her leg?"**

Panacea visibly repressed a flinch as Nidhog spoke.

"She didn't have enough Biomass for me to completely heal her, however I should be able to finish up in the next few days."

The great dragon nodded.

 **"** **Very well. You have three days. I expect her to be fully healed by then Amy Dallon of New Wave. The unwritten rules will not save you if you fail to follow through on this."**

Panacea nodded hastily before she ran towards what Nidhog recognized was her sister. Nidhog then turned to Alexandria who stood nearby, one hand at her ribs.

 **"** **I wish to speak with you at the hospital. Meet me there."**

Alexandria nodded before turning away to speak to other capes in hushed, intense tones.

Shrugging to himself, Nidhog stood and craned his neck, slowly breathing in and out before speaking so loudly that windows for blocks around shattered, he drove capes to their knees in agony as eardrums and eyes ruptured, and began bleeding.

 **"** **I choose to spare you on this day, Brockton Bay. I do this only because what I have demanded has been given, balancing the scales. But I give this warning. I am not done."**

With that Nidhog calmly turned around and lumbered in the direction of the hospital, the ground quaking with every step.

Emily Piggot just stared as the Corpse Eater moved away. A single thought on her mind.

"Oh _fuck._ "


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

A significantly more human Danny Hebert arrived at the hospital, pulling on a jacket as he finished changing back. He had picked up some spare clothing from one of his old hideaways that he had, dotting around the city. One, very helpfully had been in a park near the hospital.

He sighed as he walked up the stairs towards his daughters hospitals room. He really hadn't wanted to engage the PRT, or for that matter really any of the villains of Brockton bay, but his hand had been forced. A dragons word, and a mans for that matter, were their bond, and he had sworn to kill and to destroy until his daughter daughter had Panacea begin attending her, and Shadowstalker in chains, and now he'd received both, but he would need to talk with Alexandria, and most likely give her a marker if he wanted to get this behind him, and for it to not affect Taylor. On that note, he finally got off onto Taylors floor and paused as he smelled something.

He took another deep, snorting breath in through his nose, scenting the air. There was another five scents on Taylor's floor that smelt of a parahuman. One was the familiar, if now changed smell of his daughter, but there were four scents that were unfamiliar. He walked, quickly, but silently up to his daughters hospital room door. He opened it, and arrayed around his smiling, laughing, _beautiful_ daughter were four unknown parahumans.

The one making his daughter laugh was blond, in a purple bodysuit and dominos mask. She smelt of chalk, blood, and money. Some sort of thinker.

Another lounged in a corner of the room in a renaissance outfit, toying with a scepter, his scent was a mixture of bone and gold dust, a master with control over the body rather then the mind.

A third sat crouched in a chair, almost animal like, a trio of dogs sitting attentively at her feet, she toyed with a cheep rubber dog mask as she turned to look at Danny, she smelt of dogs, of blood, and strangely of milk, he labeled her a question mark as he moved to take stock of the final person in the room.

A young black teen in dark motorcycle leather, a helmet laying in his lap, gripped in one had as he sat attentively in the other hospital chair, his eyes cautiously checking every exit as he smiled and laughed when prompted. He smelt of stress, of freshly chipped ebony, and of ash.

Danny swiftly labeled them as low level threats, but still due for extermination for getting as close as they had to his daughter. He would still have to play this carefully though, not only was he not ready to reveal himself to his daughter, and all it would take is one ill-timed gunshot, claw swipe, or blast of fire.

Danny forced a calm, if irritated expression onto his face.

"Hello, might I ask what four capes are doing in my daughters hospital room?"

Taylor turned to look at her father, she bit her lip and turned to the blond cape who nodded reassuringly. She took a deep breath and spoke, her voice quavering slightly in the measured silence of the hospital room.

"Dad, I know who you are."

Danny crooked his head.

"Yesss," He drawled slowly. "Im sure you do, you should considering your my daughter."

Taylor shook her head fiercely, but unhappily.

"No dad, I know who you can be."

 _Oh crap,_ Danny thought, _she figured out who I am, but how in the hell?_ He trailed off. Danny focused on the blond thinker who immediately paled and was about to open her mouth to speak when Danny rushed forward, his arms and legs shifting slightly to accommodate Nidhog, his clawed talons grabbing her by the neck before slamming her roughly against the outer wall of the hospital, denting it slightly, his transformed hand still wrapped tightly around the thinkers neck.

"You had **no right.** "

Dannys voice changed halfway through, shifting to become closer to Nidhog's as his anger crested anew. He ignored the shouts and clamors of surprise and panic from the others in the room until he heard Taylor call out, calm, but audibly saddened.

"Dad, she had every right. You should have told me years ago."

Danny turned to his daughter and scoffed.

"Really?" The girl in his claw had started turning colors, but he pointedly ignored her gurgling.

"Really, I should have told you that your father was _the_ villain? A man with an almost billion dollar bounty, called the 4th end bringer by a lot of annoying news outlets, and all around considered a terrible, murderous person? Really, I should have done that?"

He finished and gave Taylor a look. It was a look that basically read along the lines of ' _your an idiot_ '. Taylor just nodded her head.

"You should have told me after mom died."

Dannys other eyebrow raised, and he was about to shout, but then looked at his company, including the girl that was currently turning a dark purple, and just let out a put upon sigh.

"Theres a lot we have to talk about, but I won't talk about it with them here. Once we get you discharged, we'll head home, and then Ill answer any question you have. I don't want to take the chance that we might be spied on."

Taylor considered it for a few moments, but then nodded. She was still feeling a little surly however.

"We will also be getting a cell phone so I can stay in contact with Tattletale."

Danny looked at his daughter, and was about to say no when he saw her expression. It reminded him of Annette when she got into a mood, and he knew he was beat, so he just nodded tiredly before he glared at the other non-Heberts in the room who exited quickly, the blond, who he assumed was Tattletale stayed just long enough to wave and smile a quick goodbye before making a quick exit, Danny made sure she caught site of a quick, dragon eyed glare as she left.

 _Scene Break_

As the Undersider exited the hospital, Grue shot a concerned look towards Tattletale who was shivering violently.

"Are you okay Tats?"

She shook her head as her shivers intensified.

"N-no. I d-don't know what d-Danny Hebert is, but I don't t-think he was ever human. Whatever we d-do, we don't piss him off, c-clear?"

Grue and the rest of the Undersiders nodded soberly as the wondered just what Danny Hebert really was.

 _Scene Break_

Danny looked at his daughter and was about to say something, when he thought better of it and remained quiet, dragging one of the hospital chairs over to be closer to the bed, but not enough to crowd Taylor. Then silence fell as Taylor tried to avoid looking at Danny without seeming like she was, and he tried to think of something to say.

The door opened before the moment became awkward and let in Alexandria in her identity as the chief director. Alexandria shot a minute glance at Taylor before shooting a questioning one at Danny who gave a quick shake, Alexandria sent a quick nod of the head back, and sat down in a hospital chair without comment.

"Mr. Hebert. It is a pleasure to see you looking… So yourself."

Danny flashed her a smile.

"It is isn't it? Now. I believe you are here with Alexandria's and the PRTS full backing?"

Alexandria nodded, her right eye twitching slightly at the dig.

"I am. The PRT are here to see what we can do for Taylor Hebert, to make her… Amenable, to a future relationship with the Wards or the Protectorate since Panacea confirmed powers."

Danny repressed the urge to snarl, and took careful notice that Alexandria had made the point to say 'PRT' rather then 'I', he also made a note to have a _discussion_ with Panacea over doctor patient confidentiality.

"Here is what you will do. An immediate transfer for Taylor to Arcadia, Shadowstalker gets the birdcage or the death penalty. No prizes for which one I hope she gets, you will also put as much pressure as needed to get Madison and Emma arrested and taken to court. You will make sure that her, _'benefactor',_ remains anonymous. I would also request time at the PRT power testing areas during the next 6 months so I can help my daughter with her new powers."

Alexandria nodded, hiding her giddy smile, she had been dreading the butchers bill for this, but the this was not actually half bad.

"Of course. If there is anything else?"

A glance at both Danny and Taylor revealed no demands, so she left hastily, already on her way back to Brockton Bay PRT headquarters to get started.

 _Scene Break_

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 **Topic: Nidhog back?**

 **In: Boards Places America Brockton Bay**

 **Bagrat** (Original Poster)(Veteran member)(Guy in the know)

Posted on January 15th

Yeah. Im not really sure how to say this, so Im must going to jump in. I live near the PRT building, and yesterday it turned into a goddamn warzone. If I didn't know better I would have said it was an Endbringer alert since I saw a bunch of gang capes, but none of the sirens were going. I only figured it out about halfway through when a gargantuan, black dragon moved past my window, roaring fire. I took some video, and a friend in the PRT confirmed it as Nidhog.

[ **link]**

 **Tank10** (PRT agent)

Replied January 15th

It was him. Nidhog had a declared target and the word was passed around that it would be considered an Endbringer truce.

 **Nicky901** (Cape wife)

Replied January 15th

Holy crap, seriously? I live in New York thank god, and I can still remember the last time he showed up. I know it sounds bad, but I'm just glad he didn't show up here…

 **Armsmaster** (Confirmed Cape)

Replied January 15th

A list of current casualties is posted here, to be updated as the count continues.

[ **link** ]

My heartfelt thanks go out to all capes and PRT agents who stood with us during the battle. An official news conference will be held later this week with Chief Director Costa Brown and local PRT director Emily Piggot.

 **Tocoolio** (confirmed nerd, confirmed logic addict)

Replied January 15th

Man, my thought go out to you all there, but from what I gather, the Corpse Eater targeted the PRT building specifically, is there anything the agents did down there to earn the wrath of a villain who's been retired for more then 10 years?

 **Brawnyboy14**

Replied January 15th

Tocoolio: really? We have over a dozens of capes and PRT agents dead or in the hospital. Maybe they did something, maybe they didn't. But asking that right now? Really?

 **AveMaria** (PRT wife)

Replied January 15th

Brawnyboy14: I thinks its a good question. Im sitting at home, waiting to see if my husbands name pops up on the list of deaths, and I want to know WHY!

 **TinMother** (Mod)

Posted January 15th

Try to keep it cool people, I don't want to have to ban people, I know its stressful right now, but do your best to keep it civil.

 **XxxVoidCowboyxxX**

Replied January 15h

X Removed by mod X

X Removed by mod X

 **TinMother**

Posted January 15th

 _Really_? You were going to try and guess the Corpse Eaters identify of all things?

Do you have a death wish? Take a three month ban for your own health.

 **SleeperOfEternities** (Confirmed villain, confirmed Smaug)

Replied January 15th

I would remind to all the squishy people out there, that guessing an angry dragons identity is a good way to get eaten.

Clear?

 **Allseeingeye** (Confirmed gal in the know)

Replied January 15th

Holy crap, is that Nidhog?

Yes sir, clear sir, please don't eat me.

I dont taste very good.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

Danny Hebert stepped out of his car in front of his house and sighed as Taylor slammed her door as hard as she could as she got out her side. His daughter had been in a rather annoying funk ever since she had been released from the hospital.

And not to say that he didn't deserve some of it, but his daughters shirty attitude as getting pretty dam annoying. She really wasn't even trying to ask him any questions at this point. He grabbed his things from the back of his car and followed his ' _still surly dammit!'_ teen daughter into the house and sighing as she tried slamming the door in his face.

Breathing in deeply Danny opened the door and tossed his bag of things on the kitchen counter before pouring himself a glass of water and sitting down in his recliner. He would have grabbed the bottle of 80 year old Papi he had stashed but Danny had the distinct impression that he would need to have his temper under absolute control, not slippery with alcohol.

No matter how much he wanted to drain the bottle after the week he'd had…

He refocused as Taylor dragged a chair that screeched over the tile of the kitchen before slamming it down directly in front of him. She sat, with her eyes flashing and as hard as steel.

Danny repressed a snicker, the effect of her stoic eyes was decidedly offset by puffed out cheeks and her crossed arms. His daughter looked rather like a puppy trying to intimidate a larger dog with its big floppy ears and too large paws.

He sighed as he sipped at his water for a moment, his humor fading, it was time to come clean about his past.

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you get your powers?"

Danny winced, he knew didn't have any idea about the unwritten rules, but still, asking that? Nevertheless, he had promised to tell Taylor everything, and so he would.

"I was one of the first people on the planet to be triggered. I was in Alaska on a fishing boat at the time, I had just graduated from college and was taking a year off before I went back to Brockton Bay when Scion arrived. What people don't remember about his arrival is that with it, came a solid week of natural disasters, volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires… And tidal waves."

Danny nodded as his daughters eyes lit up in understanding.

"I sure you understand. The boat I was on was swamped with all hands other then myself drowning in the process. I on the other hand survived. I drifted on the seas for 3 days while clinging to a life boat that had been tipped over. On the third day Scion appeared before me."

Danny paused as he remembered the godlike figure as it had first appeared.

"He appeared before me, shimmering and golden, and impossibly beautiful. At that point I had no idea what was happening in the rest of the world so I thought I was hallucinating. I remember how he looked at me, as though I was an insect, a thing to be dissected and studied."

Danny sipped at his water again, his throat suddenly dry.

"Then he disappeared. I remember absolute hatred in that moment, I had never despised any one or anything more then I hated Scion in that moment. And at the same time I triggered."

Danny held out one hand that bubbled and shifted into a a large black scaled and taloned paw, he flexed it a few times as Taylor stared fascinated, the talons scratching against the scales in symphony of sharpened bone against metal. Danny's hand returned to normal before he continued.

"In that moment I changed into Nidhog for the first time, and used my full power in a rage as. I tried to find Scion, burning most of Anchorage and Wasilla to the ground in the process. I only learned of the death toll after the fact when I regained my sense of self."

Danny glanced at Taylor who was gazing at her father with an unreadable expression, Danny thought he caught a flash of _something_ shoot across his daughters eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared so he continued.

"I only regained my sense of self when I was confronted by Alexandria who told me flat out what I had done and that she would do her best to subdue or kill me. I panicked and fought back. I defeated her after a close battle and fled into the British Columbia. After a few months I managed to turn back to human, steal some clothes and make my way into the nearest town. I found out that I had labeled the fourth end bringer by most of the newspapers for my actions."

Another pause as Danny looked at his daughter again. Taylor only continued her intense scrutiny of her father for a few moments before she asked her next question.

"How did you meet Mom?"

Danny let out a brief chuckle as remembered just how he met Annette.

"I met her in a bar in New York. At the time your mother was known as 'The Cupid' if you want to be politically correct, or 'succubus' if you didn't. She was a cape with the ability to cause was one person at a time to fall wildly in love with her. She would use her power to get men to give her money and buy her things and then would kill them or have them commit suicide so her power would reset and she could move onto her next victim. To give her credit she did try to target other villains and criminals."

Danny sat back in his chair as he thought about his wife's alter ego for the first time in years.

"I was in fancy hotel bar, the kind you can only get into if you grace the door man with lots of money just to get to the hostess who can still kick you out if you don't match their image. I had payed a non insignificant amount of money for a private table so you can imagine how surprised I was when a woman in jeans and a t-shirt slid next to me and I immediately felt attracted to her."

Danny chuckled ruefully as he rubbed a spot on his chest, just above his heart.

"It was less then a week later when she tried to kill me."

Danny laughed and leaned towards his daughter.

"You should have seen your mothers face when she realized she's used her power on a person who couldn't die from anything short of a nuclear blast to the face."

Taylor remained expressionless. Danny sighed as his attempt to make his daughter laugh, or at least smile fell flat.

"Anyway, so your mother and I began to live together, and after about six months I finally grew my immunity to her power, but in the process your mother had actually grown to care for me, and even after her power wore off, I found that I cared for your mother… to an _irrational_ degree. We discussed the matter and came to an agreement. We would secure enough money to live in comfort, and then we would retire. Fast forward almost five years and there you were, and we decided to move back to Brockton Bay. This was a during Marquis's time when the city was mostly still in order."

Danny sighed again as he shifted in his lounge chair, trying to get comfotorable, despite the fact that he knew what he was telling Taylor was shattering his daughters rose tinted view of her mother and him. Although, he mused, her view of him had already probably been broken beyond repair.

Danny looked at his daughter attentively, waiting for the next question, knowing that his daughter most likely hated his draconic guts, but quite frankly? He didn't give a crap. If his daughter was safe, the rest of the world could burn, there were other worlds after all…

"Did you love her?"

Danny looked deep into his daughters eyes, his stoic, resolute, even a little angry as flames bloomed in his eyes and deep in his throat.

"Absolutely and eternally."

"Why did you never tell me?"

Danny sat back as he considered his daughters question. Finally he shrugged.

"Your mother and I made a pact. On your 16th birthday we would tell you our identities unless one of us died first, and well…"

Taylor nodded.

"The car crash."

Danny nodded, his lips pulling back unconsciously from his teeth.

"Exactly. In the case of one of us dying the we both agreed that the other would put aside all former traces to their Cape identity and live a normal life in order to make you as safe as possible. And after I tracked down the person responsible and dealt with him, I did exactly that."

It was Taylors turn to sit back in stunned thought as she realized that she remembered the man who had struck her mother had never went to trial, he had vanished a week before the court date, and had never been found. Taylor idly mused that was probably the point.

Danny watched curiously as his daughter took a deep breath, leaned forward, and for the first time since she had woken up, came within an arms length of her father, and then clasped his hands.

Taylor Hebert looked deep into her fathers eyes.

"I want to join the wards."


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

"I want to join the wards."

Danny looked at his daughter with a deadpan expression on his face.

"No."

Taylor leaned back as if she had just been slapped, her eyes widening. She had expected her father to easily accede to her demands. She was about to start screaming when Danny held up one hand.

"If you would listen to my reasons for disagreeing, you might change your mind."

Taylor closed her mouth with an audible click as Danny raised one finger.

"Firstly, at this moment in time you have absolutely no control over your own powers."

Danny raised a second finger.

"Next, do you really think the Wards or the Protectorate will accept you knowing that you are my daughter? The daughter of a man who is arguably one of the strongest existences on the planet."

Danny raised a third finger.

"Third, now that I have essentially been revealed to Brockton Bay at large, I have no intention of fading back into obscurity, I intend to claim all of Brockton as my Fiefdom, and any gangs with Capes will be systematically hunted down and killed. And if you join the Wards I have no doubt that they would dispatch you any time I acted."

Danny looked at his daughter seriously, his eyes hard.

"Now knowing all this, do you really think the Wards are your best idea right now?"

Taylor sat in her chair, and eventually shook her head. She might hate admitting it, but her father had spelled it out, and she couldn't bring herself to disagree with him on any point. Danny nodded in satisfaction before leaning farther back in his chair.

"Now, later on, depending on how events pan out, I wouldn't mind you joining the Wards, but first, at the very least you would have to gain control of you powers. To that end, I have gotten permission for us to use the PRT's power testing stadium for the next few months in order for you to get your powers under control."

Taylor cocked her head curiously, her father kept talking like he already knew what her powers were. Danny saw his daughter looking at him curiously and tapped his nose with one thick finger.

"One of my powers is an ability to smell other Parahumans, depending on kind of power and its strength I get different scents, for instance thinkers usually have a smell of chalk an milk. You on the other hand, have a scent almost identical to mine, except with a slight taint of insects and rot."

Danny leaned forward, utterly serious as he caught his daughters eye.

"If your powers, as your scent indicates, are like mine, you need to learn how to control them, otherwise the first time you use loose your temper, even if its something as simple as getting incorrect change for your coffee, you might loose your temper, and then proceed to burn down and slaughter a city block."

Taylor was wide eyed as she considered her fathers words. The idea that she could loose her temper so easily, especially with these new powers was, disconcerting… Too say the least. Danny sighed tiredly as he saw his Taylor burgeoning panic.

"Thats why I don't want you joining the Wards just yet, I want you to practice with your powers, get a handle on them. After, lets say three months… If you still feel like joining the Wards, I would consider allowing you to join them if you have progressed far enough to be a match for any other member of the protectorate."

Danny extended one hand.

"Deal?"

Taylor nodded and grasped her fathers hand.

"Deal."

 _Scene Break_

The awkwardness that had been present since they had left the hospital had mostly disappeared, and Danny was glad for it, but he still had a few more things to do before he could say that he would be willing to let go of his grudge with Winslow, a few **visits** that he had to make.

 _Scene Break_

Samantha Clements walked to the door of her home as a few knocks sounded.

"Who is it?"

A voice sounded through the door, faintly familiar.

"A'h got a delivery of flowers for a 'Mrs. Clements'."

"Alright, just give me moment."

Samantha took a peek through to see a man in a grey uniform, a bundle of flowers obscuring his face. She opened the door, and then stopped, as a clawed, scaled hand grasped her face, and a voice like rusty nails scraping across stone sounded.

" **Mrs. Clements, is your daughter home?"**

Samantha, as her last action on this earth gave a quick, terrified nod.

There was a sickening crunch, and a spray of blood and brain matter, Nidhog stepped over the corpse and into the house. A few more thumps, and then Nidhog walked back down the stairs and out of the house dripping blood.

 _Scene Break_

Alan Barnes walked into his darkened study.

His carefully ordered life was falling apart at the seams, his daughter, accused of the attempted murder of one of her best friends, Sophia Barnes, a girl who had saved both him and his daughter, on her way to the birdcage for violations from attempted murder, robbery, grand larceny, actual murder, and freaking bio-terrorism.

And now, the Clements hadn't responded to any calls.

Alan suppressed a scream as a light turned on, and Danny appeared sitting his office chair, grinning, his teeth, just a touch to long to be completely, _natural._

"Hello Alan. We need to have a **talk.** "


	9. Authors Note: Open Poll

_Authors Note_

In recognition of over 300 favorites, I have opened a poll for wether or not Taylor joins the Wards, I guarantee that whichever is chosen it will be interesting and effect the story , but leave certain parts of the story untouched, such as what powers Taylor will show, or who she will eventually fall for.

Again, thank you for your support, and the next chapter should be out soon, (Although until we hit 500 there will be no more authors notes)

Yours truly, the Author


	10. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

Taylor stared at her father who was whistling cheerfully as he busily bustled about the kitchen he had been suspiciously cheerful this entire morning, a notably dramatic change from from the anger, forced cheer, and occasional flashes of murderous rage.

Danny slipped some pancakes and bacon onto Taylors plate as he walked back into her bedroom. Taylors phone buzzed jolting her from her inner examination of her dad, glancing at her phone she read a text from Tattletale, or rather, as she mentally corrected herself, Lisa.

 _Hey Taylor, your dads going to take you power testing today at the PRT testing arena, I was hoping, that If I show up, you can get him to, you know,_ ** _not_** _kill me and eat me._

So, when her father walked over and asked,

"Are you ready to go see just what powers you have?" Taylor was not particularly surprised.

 _Scene Break_

Emily Piggot stared at the email from the BBPD in front of her, it contained the details of what Piggot could only describe as the utmost brutality.

Images of limbs ribbed from torsos, of heads crushed like ripe watermelons, of entrails strewn around crime scenes like some sort of obscene party decorations.

The Clements, The Hess', and the Barnes family. Every single member of each family had been brutally butchered, and if the timing and brutality of the crimes hadn't been enough of a clue, the dragon with outstretched wings daubed on the front door of each crime scene would have been a rather specific hint.

And the worst thing about this?

It wasn't the murders themselves, granted they were gruesome and needless, but Emily had seen worse, and would see worse crimes committed by Parahuman and human alike.

What really got at her, was the fact that the chief director had declared both Nidhog, and his apparent daughter off limits.

No PRT of Protectorate official was supposed to come with in 1000 yards of either of them while acting in an official capacity. They were not to surveil with of the Heberts, they were not to contact either of the Heberts through any form of electronic, written, or telecommunication.

And of course, as a law abiding, career and results focused women, she would obey the instructions of the chief director.

That didn't mean, that like many other high ranking officers of the PRT, she wouldn't start compiling a file on how best to kill, capture, or otherwise contain Nidhog now that his identity was known.

Even if it meant breaking a few rules of the more unwritten type along the way.

 _Scene Break_

Coil stared at the readout in front of him, the information in the latest report one of his moles in the PRT had sent him was… _interesting_ to say the least. It shed just that little bit of extra light over Nidhog's personality.

Coil, even if he wouldn't admit it to anyone, was just a little afraid of what would happen if Nidhog learned just who had delayed Panacea, and who had subtly encouraged for Shadow Stalker's handler to, shall we say, _gloss_ over the vigilantes aggressive tendencies.

Coil **_really_** needed to get Tattletale.

 _Scene Break_

Danny stared as his daughter ran up and hugged the parahuman he had learned was named Tattletale.

This was also the same Cape he had casually almost throttled to death when he had caught her and her team in Taylor's hospital room.

And now his daughter was hugging the insect like she might not hold a grudge?

Danny rubbed at his temples as a headache rapidly blossomed behind his eyes. It wouldn't be an issue once she got a much better handle on her powers, but for now, this casual friendliness needed to stop, and it needed to stop **now**.

Lisa shivered as she felt claws of ices trace delicately down her back. She looked away from the deceptively strong, but skinny girl and saw the face of doom approaching, red eyed and utterly without mercy, its steps crunching against the grass and cement of the PRT power testing arena she quickly disengaged from Taylor before bowing to Danny, low and as sincerely as possible.

"Nidhog, dragon of the end times, I request a boon that I feel you will most likely grant based on the information I have to present you."

Lisa winced as her power fed her what exactly Nidhog felt about _that._

 _'_ _doubtful'_

 _'_ _irritated that she had the guts to actually come her and try and demand something from him'_

 _'_ _only willing to entertain listening to you because Taylor is here, and he doesn't want to brutally her murder in front of Taylor'_

 _'_ _if she doesn't have a good reason for so brazenly approaching, she will be killed no matter who's watching'_

Lisa took in one deep, shuddering breath, and followed Danny as he walked over to the other side of the stadium, and as she explained, and as Dannys face grew darker, and more angry, Lisa found herself being glad that she had used the restroom before going to this meeting.

 _Scene Break_

Taylor watched as Lisa gave her quick wave before she walked away as fast as her quivering legs could carry her, and as her father walked over, his face stormy, Taylor merely cocked her head and remained quiet.

Danny took a few deep breaths before finally speaking.

"Now that business is out of the way, do you have any last questions before we begin training?"

At Taylor's hesitant look Danny nodded encouragingly.

"Any question you want Taylor, the rule from yesterday still applies. Ask, and I will answer honestly."

Taylor though about some of the questions that had occurred to her since her last discussion with her father for a few moments before she spoke.

"Why are you known as the fourth Endbringer? Didn't they appear after you did?"

That question had honestly bugging her for a while now. Danny just gave a brief chuckle.

"Thats a pretty good question. When I triggered, I hunted for Scion for a while, and as I told you, in the process destroying a fair chunk of Alaska. After that I eventually figured out how to control my powers. It was a little more then a year later when I first encountered Alexandria. The first time I faced her, she kicked my arse."

Danny paused, and raised one finger dramatically.

"But the Second! The second I came back and kicked hers! After that I went underground for a while, popping up here and there, beating villains and heroes to a bloody paste, after a last appearance in 1989, in went underground until 2003, a few short, months after the Simurgh's first appearance. This was the first time I fought the entirety of the Triumvirate. Less then a year later, I then fought one of the first iterations of the Slaughterhouse 9."

He was about to speak even more, but Danny obviously realized that he had already more then answered the question, so instead he just coughed awkwardly before clapping his hands together and smiling brightly.

"So, ready to start training?"

Taylor nodded.

 _Scene Break_

 **Welcome to the Parahumans Online message board**

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 **Topic: Nidhog murders**

 **In Board Places US Brockton Bay**

 **Bagrat** (Guy in the Know)

 _Posted xxx_

So, for those of you who don't know, the villain Nidhog, commonly known as the '4th Endbringer' has returned to Brockton Bay, there has not been any hint as to why, since any sign that the PRT, or anyone else trying to unmask Nidhog is considered to constitute suicide by pissing a very large dragon off. (That means you VoidCowboy)

As far as the murders themselves go, the reason they are considered to be committed by Nidhog, or at least an affiliated person or group was the rampant dragon painted in blood on the front door to every crime scene, shown in the link below.

[link]

Quite frankly guys and gals of PHO, I'm at a loss. Things are heating up in Brockton Bay. I wish I could say the gangs would be smart enough to leave a monster like Nidhog alone, but quiet frankly with specimens like Skidmark and battle maniacs like Lung, Brockton Bay is going to be in for a tough few months, so if you have vacation time, or have a house in another city, now is absolutely the time to use it.

 **RevanMF42** (self proclaimed Sith Lord)

 _Posted xxx_

Bagrat, and what about the rest of us? I pretty damn sure the entire population of of schools like Winlow and their parents cannot just drop what they're doing and leave. Besides what if Nidhog decides to expand? He's beaten the Triumvirate, the slaughterhouse nine, hell, he's gone 1 on 1 with the Behemoth and the Levithan for Scion's sake! How do we protect ourselves from that!?

 **Mouthpiece of the PRT** (PRT spokesperson)

 _Posted xxx_

The PRT would like to say that there is no real cause to panic. Nidhog has habitually limited attacks to government installations such as police, fire, or state, as well as any organistons that host parahuman members. Normal people are not likely, I repeat, not likely to be targeted by the Parahuman S-class threat known as Nidhog.

 **Brocktoniteteen22**

 _Posted xxx_

Woooowwww… Im surprised you could say that with a straight face.

REALLY!? After Bagrat _JUST_ got done with telling us how Nidhog, or at least someone that works for or with him, just kill three families and left a calling card.

Want to try that again?

 **XxxVoidCowboyxxX** (Verified tinfoil hat) (Verified suicidal idiot) (Verified _speeeecccciaaalll_ )

 _Posted xxx_

XXX REMOVED BY MODXXX

XXX REMOVED BY MODXXX

 **TinMother** (Mod)

 _Posted xxx_

Really? Take a year-long ban for sheer, suicidal stupidity.

Posting clues or conclusions about the identity of a human villain, called the dragon of the apocalypse, the 4th Endbringer, and who you _just_ read about killing almost a dozen people after chewing through almost the entirety of the Brockton Bay cape population.

Oh, and those last two tags? They are a special present so that even when you get back onto PHO, you can remember just how close you came to a gruesome, flame and talon induced death.

 **SleeperofEternities** (Verified Smaug, re-verified badass)

 _Posted xxx_

Thank you for that timely warning Tin Mother.

 _However_ …

The Dragon of the Endtimes does not tolerate fools, most especially fools that might harm his family.

So I suggest, Cowboy, that you take that warning to heart, and **leave** Brockton Bay. As I have got your name from a simple backtracking of your I.P., I suggest you take this last warning. Otherwise I might end up with crispy void **_snack._**


	11. Chapter 11

_Nidhog: The Coliling_

Danny calmly watched his daughter in the midst of her mediations as he thought, her form occasionally bulging and shifting here and there as she worked on a complete transformation. From what he could tell, her ordeal in the locker had tainted her transformation, and rather the a regal, menacing, or really any other form of majestic, healthy dragon.

She instead, appeared to be some sort of emaciated dragon with dark green and purple scales. Even stranger. The one time she had managed to get her head transformed, she had coughed out a cloud of purple smoke that had killed the plantlike nearby and burnt the ground like an acid.

And while it was concerning that her form was so different, was really had his attention now was far more pressing.

 _Coil…_

The scheming snake was apparently responsible for the tumult involving his daughters healing. When he first came back to Brockton, Coil hadn't even been a player, and now he thought to interfere with a dragon?

According to the blond Tattletale, Coil had a secret base underneath an unfinished Fortress Construction site. When Taylor went to sleep tonight, he would journey out to the base and bring it down around the villains ears, leaving it a smoking ruin.

 _Scene Break Time Line - A_

Coil started as he felt more then heard a crash that shook his hidden lair and thrummed in his bones. Turning from the latest reports gathered by his soldiers and a number of his spies, he swiftly brought up the security feeds, just in time to see a massive, scaled, black form blitz through the 12ft steel vault door and continue through the hallways, literally running over any of his mercenaries that got in the way. The luck few who managed to dodge or get away from the initial charge were unprepared for the the tail with razor sharp spikes that lopped off limbs, or the fiery breath that burnt the very air in their lungs.

Coil snarled in rage as Nidhog charged through his base.

 _Timeline - B_

Thomas Calvert frowned as as he sat down into his chair with a glass of a whiskey in one hand, the fact that Nidhog apparently had figured out that he was behind the deal in his daughters healing, meant one of two things. Either Nidhog still had a large system of informants, even after his years of retirement, or the far more likely, and far more irritating option, Lisa had decided to finally buck her shackles.

His little thinker must have been getting desperate to go to _Nidhog_ of all people.

He would have to make her pay for that mistake. And pay dearly.

But as he reclined in his chair he heard the distinct ratcheting clack of a cocking gun.

Calvert swore, and made to dive out of his chair, intent on going for his weapon, but he was too slow and he felt the bullet burst open his chest.

He collapsed the timeline.

 _Timeline A_

Coil sat in shock as Nidhog destroyed the base around him. They had known his _identity_. And had sent a competent killer to his home to make sure that he died quickly there as well. That meant they must have known his power as well, or at least were paranoid enough since he was known to use body doubles too confuse pursuers and ensure his own safety. But he did have one option left. He split the timelines again, and in one he started the bases self destruct and made for the escape tunnel. The blast from the charge littering the base would be enough to level a city block, but he already knew it wouldn't kill the dragon.

What it would do is give him the opportunity to escape, and not to mention allow him to 'die' in the explosion and set up somewhere else.

Perhaps Florida? There was no significant Protectorate presence, and it would be ripe for a new setup with its still functioning shipping lanes.

The real issue with that would be selling it to Cauldron. He shrugged mentally, one problem at a time. First he had to escape. And of course that was the instance when, almost as he was at the end of his escape tunnel, the light shining through and filling him with hope, a leonine shape with with wings leapt into the tunnel roaring with a corpse like rattle.

Coil couldn't help himself.

There were **_two_** of the damn things now?!

This dragon, unlike the one that was still rampaging through his base judging by the explosions, was small, at least compared to the bigger one. It was about ten feet long, with taloned paws, a long tail with a single spike, with green, black, and purple scales. The strangest thing was how cadaverous it looked, with prominent rips and emaciated limbs, and patches of its scales looking like they were rotting off.

It growled menacingly, curls of purple smoke coming from between its clenched jaws as it advanced.

Coil held up his hands and hoped it wouldn't kill him. That hope was dashed when it let loose a hacking cough and abruptly a wall of the purple smoke came towards him.

Coil turned to run, and then felt the smoke hit him, and then screamed in agony as he began burning, the fog, the purple **death** was highly acidic and was eating through his costume, and then through his flesh, then bone.

And the Coil died for the second time that day.

Coil jerked as he felt the other timeline collapse just as the door to his office burst in and a draconic humanoid strolled in, Mr. Pitter, or at least a large portion of the man's corpse clutched in one taloned hand.

Coil opened his mouth to speak, and then felt the weight of Mr. Pitter's corpse thrown hard enough to break the sound barrier impact his chest.

And Coil died for the third and final time that day.


End file.
